Department for Transport

Transport: Finance

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, since March 2020, how much money they have given for transport-related purposes to (1) Transport for London, and (2) all other councils and transport authorities in England; and what is the per capita amount of expenditure for those living (a) in the Greater London area, and (b) in the rest of England.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In the financial year 2020/21 my Department provided £3.2bn to Transport for London and £4.2bn to other councils and local authorities for transport-related purposes. These figures will be confirmed when the Department’s annual report and accounts are published in September. To provide further context, in the financial year 2020/21 over £13bn was spent on transport related purposes in response to Covid-19 or as part of wider recovery measures. TfL received £2.457bn funding and financing (included with the £3.2bn figure above) to ensure the continued operation of their transport services, at a time when passenger demand was significantly reduced. Outside of London we allocated £8.5bn to rail services, £1.257bn for bus operators, and £142m for light rail. This ensured that key modes of public transport continued to operate. Details of the measures and costs associated have been published in the National Audit Office online tracker of the Government's interventions on Covid-19. This is available online on the NAO’s website.  Per Capita analysis of our expenditure will be available in the Country and Regional Analysis published later this year, which is available at online at Gov.uk.

Travel: Coronavirus

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difference in the cost of COVID-19 tests for travellers (1) entering, and (2) leaving, the UK.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: It is a matter for each country to decide on appropriate health measures and how Covid-19 tests are provided. We recognise that the cost of tests can be high. The Government is working with the travel industry and private testing providers to see how we can further reduce costs for the British public while ensuring travel is as safe as possible. The price of tests has reduced significantly in recent weeks, bringing the UK in line with other countries, and some providers are offering testing packages for arrivals countries on the green list starting at £43. The Government is considering a range of options to lower the cost of testing, including cheaper tests being used when passengers return home.

Department of Health and Social Care

Disability Aids

Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of shortages of tubular steel, what arrangements they plan to put in place to ensure that the NHS has enough supplies of rehabilitation equipment including (1) walking frames, (2) four-wheeled walkers, and (3) rollators.

Lord Bethell: Walking frames, four-wheeled walkers and rollators are largely made of tubular aluminium for lightweight purposes and therefore no impact of the reported steel shortages is expected.

NHS: Finance

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value to taxpayers of over £4 million per annum being paid from NHS Trust budgets to cover the cost of NHS Providers.

Lord Bethell: We have made no such assessment. It is for National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts to decide whether to join a representative body and whether it provides value for money.

Medical Equipment: Innovation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the medical device innovations sent from the HealthTec Connect portal in its first 12 months to (1) NHS, and (2) Government, agencies, have since been adopted by NHS Supply Chain.

Lord Bethell: In the first 12 months of HealthTech Connect’s operation, 180 technologies were submitted, of which 142 were shared with NHS Supply Chain. None were selected.NHS Supply Chain do not determine which products are appropriate for adoption by the National Health Service but may respond where products are selected by NHS England and NHS Improvement for adoption via routes such as MedTech Funding and the Accelerated Access Collaborative.

Medical Equipment: Innovation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to put inplace a framework agreement specifically for the adoption of medical devices innovation, and (2) to ensure that each procurement framework agreement has a section specifically for innovation adoption to speed up the use of innovative medical devices for patients.

Lord Bethell: There are currently no plans for an additional framework agreement for medical device innovation. However, current frameworks do accommodate innovations from existing suppliers.

Department for Education

Schools: Opening Hours

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of all secondary schools in England extending the teaching day by 30 minutes in 2021–22.

Baroness Berridge: The next stage of the Government's long term recovery plan will include a review of time spent in school and 16-19 further education colleges, and the impact this could have on helping children and young people to catch up.This review will consider a wide range of evidence on the use of time in schools and 16-19 colleges, including costs. The findings of the review will be set out later in the year to inform the Spending Review. This is a potentially significant change to existing arrangements, and we plan to work closely with teachers, parents, and children to review the evidence and understand their views.

Ministry of Defence

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of design flaws in the Ajax armoured fighting vehicles, what is the timetable for delivery of the Ajax Armoured Vehicle programme; and what assessment they have made of whether the programme will be delivered (1) on time, and (2) in budget.

Baroness Goldie: The current forecast Initial Operating Capability, or IOC, is 30 June 2021, with a 50% confidence, and a 90% confidence for September 2021. To be clear the Department will not take the programme into IOC until we are confident that we have achieved what we need to achieve at this stage of the vehicle’s development. The contract with General Dynamics Land Systems UK is a firm price contract to deliver the requirement in a set budget.

Oman: Military Bases

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to conduct a post-construction environmental impact assessment of their new port at Duqm in Oman; whether they have made any assessment of the (1) overall environmental impact, and (2) impact on Arabian humpback whales, of the visit of HMS Queen Elizabeth to that port.

Baroness Goldie: The Omani Port of Duqm Company administers the port and the Ministry of Defence has, and will continue to, comply with all relevant Omani and UK environmental regulations. This includes environmental impact assessments, if required, for all UK Defence activity at the port. The Port of Duqm Company has conducted an environmental health survey and the UK and Oman have a regular dialogue which encompasses a wide range of topics, including the environment.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have identified why automatic pension uplifts were not applied since 2008 to women's State Pension when their husbands reached State Pension Age; and what steps they have taken to ensure that future pension payments are subject to checks.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: As set out in the written statement of 4th March 2021, laid in both Houses, the Department IT systems produce an electronic prompt to consider if an individual’s State Pension amount should be increased. The prompt requires Department Staff to take further manual action and, in some cases, this did not take place. The Department is undertaking additional quality assurance checks to ensure that State Pension payments are accurate.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what interest rate is applied to the arrears payments for women whose automatic pension uplifts were not applied as they should have been since 2008, and who are now receiving the back-dated amounts due.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Where underpayments are identified, the Department is contacting individuals to inform them of the changes to their State Pension amount and of any arrears payment they will receive in accordance with the law.

Cabinet Office

UK Relations with EU: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland on the territorial integrity of the UK; and whether they consider that any such impact arising from the Protocol was justified in order to secure a wider agreement on the terms of the UK's departure from the EU.

Lord Frost: The Protocol itself is clear that Northern Ireland remains an integral part of the United Kingdom, its internal market and customs territory.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to finance the cost of extending overseas voting rights (1) directly, or (2) from fees attached to registration, or (3) by any other means.

Lord True: The new burdens doctrine will cover any additional registration costs for the registration of newly enfranchised overseas electors. UK Parliamentary election costs are paid from the Consolidated Fund. Overseas electors are only eligible to vote in UK general elections.In Budget 2021, for the coming year, the Government has provided an additional £2.5 million towards removing the arbitrary limit preventing British citizens who live overseas from voting after 15 years.